


I'll Believe in Anything

by Swing Set in December (swing_set13)



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-02-08
Updated: 2016-02-08
Packaged: 2018-05-19 00:06:31
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,229
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5948356
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swing_set13/pseuds/Swing%20Set%20in%20December
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>High school is stressful for Barry Allen. Especially if Leonard Snart insists on carrying your books.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. You learn how to fight, one way or another. Or you disappear.

**Author's Note:**

> Based off the manga _The Tiger and the Chameleon - A Promise for One Week_ written by Masami Tsuda. Lyrics from Her Space Holiday's _I'll Believe in Anything_ Wolf Parade cover.

  _Every person no matter how big or tough they are should always have a partner. You never want to go out on the streets alone. It's a mistake. It's just that you'll get lonely, you'll get upset, you'll get beat up. Because you never can tell if someone's going come up from the front of you and start to get your attention and this other dude's going to walk up behind you and bust your fucking head._

_Partners are always better._

\---

It’s a new school year for Barry Allen at Central City High School.

Eyes lowered, looking down, Barry is hardly worth noticing. He blends into the background with his eyes always riveted to the ground, making sure he doesn’t get tripped.

"Yes! We're in the same class!" hollers Cisco with an impish smirk, nearly knocking Barry over with a hard pat on the shoulder as Barry slows down from his brisk jog when he gets onto the school grounds. He actually got to school before the bell.

Stumbling, Barry glares at his friend from behind his clunky glasses. Barry has always been quiet but being friends with Cisco makes him positively mute by comparison. Coupled with his shyness and the fact that he's worn big glasses since second grade, everyone in their school kind of wrote him off as being invisible.

Caitlin follows Cisco’s wake with a bright smile in greeting. 

"Barry," Iris says warmly in greeting from where she’s holding court on the school steps with her other friends. "I'm glad you're in our class. I was worried that you would be alone."

Barry sighs, Iris means well, but her concern comes off motherly most of the time. He thinks she conspires with his mother to make sure he’s coddled the right amount during the school day.

“Hey! What about me?" demands Cisco, pushing himself in between Iris and Barry. Caitlin politely rolls her eyes. Barry lets their bickering lull over him, enjoying the pleasant buzz of watching his friends.

\---

Every year it is the same. At the beginning of every school year, first period is the same terrifying moment for Barry. He spent the morning in front of the mirror practicing. Even by himself it was a mess of stutters and false starts. It really is embarrassing. Barry has been a frayed ball of nerves for his whole walk to school.

Mr. Wells is decidedly disinterested in the front of the class, his eyes bloodshot as he mainlines caffeine. The blackboard already has etched into it, in his chicken scratch, the most terrifying lesson plan ever.

> **ICE BREAKER**

>   1. **Name**
>   2. **Hobby**
> 


Barry stares at the board in abject horror before being pushed into class by Cisco.

Caitlin and Iris wave him over in the second row, while Cisco snorts.

"Gonna slum it with the rogues this year, Barry?" asks Cisco eyeing the back row of the class with a mischievous grin.

Barry gives a jerky shake of his head.

"Relax, man, it will be over before you know it," Cisco says, his eyes softening before heading to the back and stealing Rathaway’s seat. "Have fun with the keeners!"

Caitlin scowls back at Cisco before moving her books off of the adjacent desk for Barry.

"Don't listen to him, Barry," she says.

Barry winces before settling at his desk and slumping forward. He's unlucky enough that his last name falls first on the class list.

"You'll be fine, Bar,” Iris says before resuming her chat with Linda Park.

Once the final bell rings, Barry’s palms feel sweaty and his heart is beating at an abnormally fast rhythm. He wishes for a sinkhole to open up and rescue him. He barely pays attention Mr. Wells monotone speech about the school’s ethical behaviour charter.

His blood is turning to ice.

Barry questions the sadism of Mr. Wells. Everyone knows each other already. Cisco says it's because Mr. Wells doesn't want to think up an actual lesson plan.

“Mr. Allen?” Barry gets up with a start when Mr. Wells gestures towards him with listless wave of his hand as he looks at the class list.

Tony Woodward extends his right foot right at the moment Barry passes his desk causing Barry to careen it Iris’s desk before stumbling to the front of the class. His ears are already burning red as there are faint snickers from the rogues’ gallery in the back of the class, thankful Cisco gives him two thumbs up in support.

"Barry Allen," he musters out, his voice sounding too high pitch.

He clears his throat before walking back to his desk, his face burning in humiliation. Caitlin pats his back.

At least, it was over.

He belatedly remembers that he was supposed to give a hobby.

\---

When Barry was in elementary school, he had a crush on Iris, his only friend at the time. It was horribly one-sided, especially when Tony Woodward found Barry’s notebook of poetry for Iris and read it in front of the whole class then pushed him into the dirt. Barry hasn't put himself out there since.

Even if he moved on from mooning over Iris to becoming best friends.

Love wasn’t worth the risk.

\---

The desk behind Barry has been vacant since the beginning of the semester.

Cisco monopolizes it during the breaks to badger Caitlin about the latest scientific innovations and to brag about what he built in his garage over the weekend.

"Go away, Cisco," says Caitlin, her eyes not looking up from a medical neuroscience journal.

"It's an empty desk," replies Cisco, stretching out and making himself comfortable.

"The desk was assigned," glares Caitlin, who is a firm believer in class structure despite Mr. Wells overall disinterest in teaching.

"To who?" asks Barry, curiously. New students are rare.

"Leonard Snart," Caitlin says in a matter of fact tone, her eyes never straying from the journal.

\---

The infamous Leonard Snart fades to the back of Barry's mind until he's standing before the class two weeks later.

He towers over Mr. Wells in a dark blue winter coat and a scowl.

"Class, this is Leonard Snart," declares Mr. Wells. "Due to family reasons, he is joining us a little late."

There is an awkward silence that hangs over the room as Leonard looks over the class with an air of detachment.

Coughing, Mr. Wells pats Leonard’s back and immediately gets a scowl. "Introduce yourself?"

Barry feels stressed by proxy. His palms are sweaty as he looks at Leonard from behind his glasses. He is filled with sympathy towards Leonard, being up front like that. Barry feels like a deer in headlights at the mere thought.

"My name is Len Snart. I play hockey, I enjoy the cold, I hate working and love money," Len smirks with an eyebrow raise.

The girls in the class all titter with mirth. Barry could practically feel Cisco's glower. Len ambles to the free desk behind Barry and kicks up his feet.

Mr. Wells shuffles awkwardly in front of the room before starting the day's lesson.

\---

Since the arrival of Len Snart, Barry started with a renewed fervour to not draw attention to himself.

Len on the other hand, even with being quiet in class, was always a source of interest. He was new and mysterious. Girls giggled behind him while the boys in class mutely respected him. The atmosphere of the class felt weighted with Len there.

Barry wished he could fade further into the background and made a conscious effort to stay out of Len's way.

It worked, mainly for the fact that Len was disinterested with school as a whole and Barry curled further into himself, much to Iris and Caitlin’s disapproval.

\---

It was towards the end of the semester when it happened.

Barry had been at the school track running laps in preparation for the next school meet before realizing how late it had become. It was already dark, in his haste to get home he didn’t even bother to changing from his school’s bright scarlet track suit, he started to run.

Looking down as always, he failed to look up before he crashed into a solid body. The impact caused him to sprawl backwards on the street, his glasses skittering on the ground.

"Fuck," muttered a voice a couple of feet away. "You ok?"

Barry's face flushed with embarrassment. He crashed into somebody. Getting up, he looked forward - everything was hazy.

A hand closed in on his arm and drew him to his feet. His vision swam before focusing on bright blue eyes. He was nose to nose with Len Snart.

Barry gasped and stumbled back on his heels.

"I'm sorry," Barry stutters before looking down. A calloused hand jerked his chin up. Barry jerked back, expecting to be hit but only met a cold touch.

"You're not hurt, are you?" asks Len, concern lacing his voice. Barry looks up in confusion.

"No, but my glasses..." Barry starts.

"Glasses?" Len asks, "Shit, wait, let me see..."

There is a sickening crunch that causes Barry's stomach to drop.


	2. So give me your eyes, I need sunshine.

Len insisted on walking Barry to the optometrist. And paying. He kept muttering apologies and tugging him along. His hand never straying from the small in Barry's back.

Regrettably, Barry's new frames would only be ready in a week. By that point, Barry just wanted to crawl into a hole and die.

"I'm so sorry. I should have been paying more attention," Len apologizes, Barry can feel Len’s attention lingering too much on his face.

Barry waves him off.

"It's my own fault. I shouldn't have been running in the dark," stutters Barry. "You don't need to apologize, you're already done enough, paying for my new glasses."

Barry feels Len's gaze on him still and he tries to squint back at him but it's just a blurry mass in the soft glow of the streetlights.

"It's still pretty shitty. What are you going to do?"

"It's not going to be an easy week. I won't be able to see anything but..." he says, trailing off with a shrug, rubbing his eyes awkwardly. It’s been awhile since he’s spent an extended period of time without his glasses. His eyes are starting to adjust a bit.

The silence seems to hang between them as Barry can feel Len scrutinizing him. Barry’s glad the darkened street hides his face which he’s sure is as flushed as his red tracksuit.

"I can be your eyes,” declares Len.

Barry feels a wave of fear overcome him.

"What?"

"Yeah," says Len with a satisfied nod. "For the next week, I'll be your eyes. I'll take all your notes and stick by your side. Don't worry, everything will be great, Scarlet.”

“Scarlet?” Barry mouths, bewildered.

\---

Barry groggily swatted at the alarm clock the next day. Blearily, he opened his eyes. For a brief moment, he thought yesterday was just a dream.

"Barry!" calls his mom from downstairs. "Time to wake up! Your boyfriend's here to get you!"

Barry jerked out of bed with a crash and scrambled for his clothes.

\---

Len was outside waiting in front of a black mass.

"Morning! I traded my bike with Mick this morning," Len says tapping the car fondly. "Let me get the door."

Barry feels his entire face red with embarrassment as he gets into the car.

"I'm sorry about my mother," he says looking at his shoes as Len guns the engine.

"Relax, Scarlet,” Len replies. "Your mom seems nice."

"You didn't have to get me, I could have made my own way in."

"I said I would," Len says, turning on the radio low. "Plus, it's good for me too, it's been a while since I've woken up this early. Surprised the hell out of Lisa.”

His warm laughter sends a shiver down Barry's spine.

Coming to school with Len would draw even more attention and all eyes would be on him. Len's motorcycle was a constant topic being he was one of the few seniors with a mode of transportation worth driving. Same went with Mick Rory’s Lincoln. Barry was glad he didn't have time for breakfast, his stomach was already in knots.

\---

Len's arm constantly brushed against Barry's as they walked towards the school's main entrance. A group of Len's friends swarmed around them.

“Len!” greeted Mick Rory, slinging an arm over Len's shoulder. “So who's your new boyfriend? I trust my car is still in one piece?”

Barry looked down towards the ground even more, if it was possible. Hartley Rathaway and Jesse James eyed Barry with open curiosity.

"Shut it, you're embarrassing Scarlet,” Len says shaking off Mick and steering Barry towards the doors.

"Oi! What does that mean?" yells Mick from behind, causing more heads to turn. "We're not your friends?"

Ignoring them, Len tugs on Barry shoulder, invading his personal space even more.

"There's a step, watch out, Scarlet.”

Barry flushes red. His glasses were always a shield against the outside world. He feels exposed. He looks down while Len starts talking about the finer points of hockey.

\---

Len guides Barry over to his desk before sliding into the desk behind him. Iris is doing a very find imitation of a goldfish with her jaw dropped. It wasn't long before she cornered him with Cisco and Caitlin during break and got him to spill the entire story.

"And now everyone is staring at me," groans Barry into his desk.

"It’s so romantic," gushes Iris.

"What?" glares Cisco.

“Like when Eddie saved my laptop,” she says.

"I wish someone would do that for me. Like a knight in shining armour,” Caitlin adds with a swoon.

"What? Be your eyes?" says Cisco skeptically. "Because you can have my notes if you want."

“Never mind,” says Caitlin.

\---

Barry decided the best way to meet this was head on.

"You wanted to talk to me?" asks Len during lunch, he towered over Barry a bit.

"Well," Barry starts, it helped that he couldn't see Len's expression. "I know you want to help me but I think I'll be fine. For notes, I can count on Cisco and Caitlin. Iris doesn't live that far. She can give me a hand in the morning. So you don't need to worry. And you can call me, Barry. Everyone does.”

Barry is proud that he could string all those words out. There is a pause that makes him look up with a squint to see how Len is taking this. He hopes he's relieved to be released from his obligation.

Len is looking down at him fondly.

"I told you Scarlet, stop being so polite. I want to," he says. "Does it really bother you that you have to hang out with me?"

By his tone, he sounds concerned.

"I'll do my best to keep a low profile, you'll hardly notice me at all," he says with a smirk and a slap on the shoulder.

Barry winces. That's not what he meant at all.

\---

"Mr. Allen, can you read the next section starting from page twenty-nine?" asks Mr. Wells in the afternoon.

Barry scrambles for his book but all the lines blur together.

"I'll read it," says the gruff voice behind him.

Barry wants to sink lower into his seat as Len's warm timber washes over him.

\---

"So I was better, right?" asks Len on their drive back to Barry's.

"Not really," Barry says.

“Really? I’m a bit rusty being low profile,” Len sighs out with a shake of his head. "I'll be better tomorrow."

"It's not your fault," says Barry. "It's me. I didn't mean what I said before..."

"Huh? What do you mean?" asks Len looking over at him with a frown.

Barry just looked out the window shrugging. He felt the weight of Len's gaze before Len launched into talking about some painting at the Central City Museum of Modern Art that they should check it when Barry gets his glasses back next week.

\---

After that, Len showed no inclination about pressing the issue. Barry was grateful. He was sure Len understood. And appearances were deceiving, as Len was kind, despite being cold and aloof in school. Barry felt badly for judging him as it was that kind of snap judgments that was at root of his crippling shyness.

Half way during the week, Barry began looking up when he walked. Everything was still blurry but it gave him a better view of Len.

Barry was still worried. Despite how friendly Len was being, Barry was apprehensive about trusting someone who wasn't Iris, Cisco or Caitlin.

He knew he was ugly. He wasn't pretty like Iris, confident like Caitlin or witty like Cisco. The more he thought about it, Barry knew that Len would never see him other than as an obligation or at best a casual friend. Not someone worth knowing.

—

"Len, you don't need to take care of Barry at school," says Iris over lunch. "We can take care of him."

“No, I made a promise to Scarlet,” Len says.

Cisco glowered over at Len as Caitlin and Iris beamed warm smiles towards Len.

"You are so sweet, Len. I thought you weren't a nice guy and was worried about Barry, but I've been worrying for nothing," says Iris.

Barry wants to die. He wonders if he can drown in his milk.

"I am a nice guy," says Len, his face open.

"And the assholes you hang out with?" bites out Cisco.

Len’s face shutters and he glares at Cisco over his lunch.

"Cisco, that was uncalled for," says Barry which startles Cisco. Barry usually doesn't talk back.

Len grins.

\---

"Want me to take your bag?" asks Len.

"Len, guys aren't usually this attentive to other guys," says Barry, scuffing his foot.

"Huh, really?" says Len, sounding perplexed.

“And with the Scarlet-“ starts Barry.

“Like your tracksuit. The Scarlet Speedster is what they call you, right?” says Len.

“Only at track meets, Iris likes alliteration in her newspaper articles -“ begins Barry, he didn’t think Len noticed. No one at school really does. Track isn’t a popular sport at Central City High. "It doesn't bother you, to have people stare at you?"

Len scratches his head, "Not really."

He grabs the bag off Barry's shoulder.

"Teachers always have their eye on me because they think I'm some sort of thug, even when I don't stir up any shit."

"I'm jealous," Barry mumbles wishing he could be that nonchalant.

"Huh?"

"Nothing," says Barry, looking away.

"I've been wondering for a while," Len begins. "Why do you always have your head down?"

Barry stares at his shoes.

"If you don't want to tell me, it's fine," says Len.

"It's because," Barry stutters. "Because, people say I'm ugly. A freak no one would love. I wish I could be confident like you, Len, but I can't deal with the insults."

He lets out a shuddering breath and wishing he had something to hide behind. Len already has his bag and without his glasses, he's in the open.

It's a surprise when Len lifts up his chin. They're barely a breath apart. Len squints at him before backing away.

"Huh, that's a bunch of crap," he says finally.

"What?" Barry looks at Len in disbelief.

"Whoever told you that was an ass."

"You don't need to lie. They said it because it was true. You don't have to be kind," Barry glowers.

“Scarlet, why would I lie? Besides, you're hot. Even with the glasses," Len says. "I kind of miss them."

"But..."

"If people are saying shit like that to you, they don't deserve your time. Now come on, I promised your mom to get you home on time."

\---

Barry was beating his head about confiding in Len. It was something not even Caitlin or Cisco knew. Iris vaguely had an idea the extent Tony and his friends bullied him. She thought it was dealt with. A lot of it stemmed from his heart being ripped open in front of the whole school in elementary school.

Yet, he felt lighter after talking with Len. Iris was his first love. And when Tony cruelly revealed Barry’s feelings towards Iris and ridiculed him, Barry vowed never to fall in love again. He hid his face behind his glasses and under baggy clothes so he could never get hurt again.

But, there was something he was realizing hanging out with Len.

Acting like that, he was never really happy.

\---

"Check it out, Bar," says Iris the next day during homeroom, holding a pair of red laces. "They were selling them near the bus stop. I got you a pair to wear to your next track meet! You’ll leave that Garrick guy in the dust.”

Barry brought them closer to his eyes to get a better look. They had little lightning bolt on them.

He smiled in Iris’s direction. "Thank you."

"Gimme your shoes," says Iris, leaving no room for argument.

“Red’s certainly your colour, Scarlet,” Len says.

Barry turns to Len who was leaning forward on his desk with a smile. It startles Barry, to be the focus of Len's undivided attention.

The moment was broken when Cisco asked Barry if he started the physics problem set.

\---

They were walking home instead of taking the car. Mick had a hot date. The weather was brisk but the sun was shining.

"Len, if I made you lunch, would you eat it?" Barry asks, idly, without looking in Len's direction.

"Huh?"

"Since you always buy food from the cafeteria, I figure it would be a change and would be my way of thanking you?" he trails off.

"You cook? You sure it wouldn't be that much trouble?" Len asks.

"I usually do most of the cooking at home with my mom, it wouldn't be that big of a deal," Barry shrugs.

"It's been a while since I've had a home-cooked meal."

"Really?" Barry can't imagine that. His mom is always baking.

"Yeah, my dad isn't home a lot and it's just me and Lisa,” says Len. "Don't look so horrified, Scarlet.”

Len knocks his shoulder into Barry's.

\---

Len nearly weeps with joy when Barry hands over a sack lunch containing tupperware full of lasagna and an apple turnover.

"Man, thanks, Scarlet,” Len says peering into the bag.

"So I'll see you after lunch."

"Huh?"

"I have the same thing, I wouldn't want people to get the wrong idea," says Barry.

He can feel Len's stare.

"You sure?"

"Yes."

He clamps down on saying more and smiles weakly.

\---

Barry smiles faintly thinking of Len as he walks back from the cafeteria. Len was so happy, just for food. Barry thinks it's gotten better without his glasses, he doesn't mind being around others, it's not like he can see anyone, anyways.

He hears Len despite not being able to see him.

"It's better outside," Len says idly.

"Len, I hear you're slumming with Barry Allen,” comments Tony and Barry freezes, he's too far to see anything. He sinks behind a nearby tree.

"What of it?"

"You have weird taste, man. That guy's a freak," says Tony snidely.

There is a brief scuffle and Tony is lying on the ground with Len standing over his crumpled form.

"What the fuck, Snart?" coughs Tony, holding his bleeding nose.

"You're ruining my lunch," he says before walking off, ignoring the yells of his classmates behind him.

Barry remains rooted to the spot until the final bell rings.

\---

Walking to school with Len has become routine. Barry hardly notices that he greets Iris, Caitlin and Cisco first rather than shuffling into the classroom.

"You're changing, Barry," comments Iris, Barry senses the fondness in her tone.

"What?"

"Nothing," she smiles before turning towards Linda to discuss the school’s next newspaper spread.

\---

At the end of the week, Len goes with him to the optometrist. It was a wonderful feeling to finally see. It takes a minute to adjust.

"A week of just seeing no further than my nose, it feels good to finally see," Barry declares with a small smile. "Makes me look smarter?"

Looking up, he realized Len was staring. His bright blue eyes are sharp and piercing. He never realized how handsome he was. Len coughed awkwardly before looking away.

"Sorry again for breaking your glasses."

"Thank you for helping me this week," Barry says sincerely. "I can make you another lunch."

Len's smile was blinding.

\---

It was strange, despite it only lasting a week, Barry and Len became close friends. But not more.

Sometimes they would walk home together and Barry always made an extra lunch for Len.

Barry resigned himself to wait. He had a good feeling about Len, despite being oblivious. He could wait. He was going to be sure this time if he was going to put his heart on the line again. He had time.

\---

"Hey Scarlet. You know those cabbage rolls, you made last week. Those were awesome," says Len walking home on a bright fall day.

"Yes? I can make it again if you want."

"And I loved those brownies," Len hinted.

"Yes, I can make those too, Len."

"And you won't make lunch for anyone else but me. Promise, Barry?”

"Yea- _what_?"

\---

  
_We've both been very brave_  
_Walk around with both legs_  
_Fight the scary day_  
_We both pull the tricks out of our sleeves_  
  
_But I'll believe in anything_  
_And you'll believe in anything_

_\---_

_End._

**Author's Note:**

> Come say hi on my [tumblr](http://swingsetindecember.tumblr.com/).


End file.
